Lunar Eclipse
by Jollywolfe
Summary: Ranma's disowned, Usagi is smart, and Setsuna is breaking down. What the heck is going on here? Now with slightly longer chapters. Ranma12xSailor Moon Not a RxAk pairing
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon. If I did, I wouldn't spend my time writing fan fiction.

_AN: Quick age reference_

_Ranma: 18_

_Inners: 16/17_

_Haruka, Michiru: 20_

_Hotaru: 14_

_Setsuna: Who the hell knows_

_Anyone who has read this story before will quickly notice a difference in the sequence of events. This was done for two reasons. One: every one was complaining about the chapters being to short. I agreed so I combined the existing chapters into fewer, but longer ones. Two: I feel the story flows better like this. It makes more sense when trying to plot a timeline._

**Chapter One**

The senshi gathered around the ashes of yet another youma. Not unusual in itself. The fact that it had been in it's current condition when they got there WAS. Not as much as it should have been though. This was the fifth one they'd found like this. Mercury's computer indicated several more that weren't even ashes by the time one of the scouts got to it's location.

"Any new readings, Mercury?" The blue haired scout was busy scanning the quickly vanishing pile with her visor on. She sighed, and turned the visor off as she stood up.

"Nothing. The only energy reading I'm picking up are from the youma and us."

"Us? What do you mean us?" Mercury sighed as she once again prepared to explain to her friend and leader.

"We give off a low level form of residual magic whenever we are in this form, Moon. It is easy to find and identify if you know what to look for." Please let this be the last time she asked.

"Do we all give off the same energy then, or is each a little different?" Moon asked, tilting her head to the side. Mercury blinked, surprised at the relevancy of the question.

"Well actually each of us has are own unique energy pattern. However they are so similar it can be very hard to distinguish between them. Why?"

"I was just thinking what if the reason you can't get a reading is it's a new senshi. You said that you can tell between us right?" This time all the other scouts sweat dropped while Mercury blinked at the usually air-brained Sailor Moon again.

"How could it be a new senshi? All the planets are taken meatball head!" Mars bopped her beloved leader in the head. Jupiter looked around and spoke up.

"If you can't find anything else, perhaps we should go. We seem to be attracting a bit of an audience." The others glanced around. Indeed several onlookers could be seen just out of earshot. The others nodded and leapt to the roof and began hopping back to the shrine.

Several blocks away a shadowy form watched them leave as it had watched them come. As they passed beyond sight it also slipped away, in the opposite direction

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ranma moved slowly through the kata, letting the moves wash away her worries. The curse didn't matter. Her ex-parents didn't matter. Akane didn't matter. All thought was focused on each step in the forms. Her mind slowly shifted to her recent visitor. The blond had certainly been eager to learn, and Ranma hoped she would return. Joy in the Art was something she loved to share, and this kata would be perfect for a new meditation technique. A sad smile crossed her face as she finished. It was too bad she had never been licensed to teach. That would have been a lot of fun. She was pushing it with what she had taught her new friend. Wait a tic. Why did she care about getting a license from her ex-old man? Happosai was the Grand Master. He had proven plenty of times he didn't care about 'normal'. He would probably do it in exchange for a glomp. Disgusting, but worth the sacrifice.

"Pig-tailed goddess! At last I have found you!"

No. Please not yet. She wasn't ready to deal with the Nermites yet. Ranma turned slowly, the dread taking hold. Yes, it was indeed the true blunder striding boldly towards her. Damn! How to get rid of him.

"Oh glorious day! Pray tell my love, What are you doing in a park so early?"

"I'm camping here you idiot."

"Could I offer you a room at my estate? Surely it would…."

"No you can't. I don't like you Kuno. If you bother me again, my brother will not be stopped from ending your life." Ranma harshly interrupted before he could start.

"Brother? I was not aware you had a sibling, oh beauteous one. What is his name?

"Ranma."

"……." Giant sweat drop. "Surely you jest! The foul demon has been cast from his clan! Even if you were related once, you are no more!"

"In case you missed it blunder brain, Nodaka and Genma have no children. I too have been cast out. And you, Kuno, are partially to blame for this. Ranma's forgiveness of you and your sister's actions was seen as an unforgivable weakness." Kuno starred at her open-mouthed. "Our former parents decided we were too weak and dishonorable to be allowed in the clan. How does it feel, Kuno? The girl you have chased after is Ronin, and it is your fault!" As she spoke, Ranma grew increasingly angrier. "Instead of shouting about being samurai you should have tried acting like one! Where is the honor in leading a horde of men to attack one girl outside of formal trainin'?! Where is the honor in attacking her fiancé over an arranged marriage made before they were even born?! Where is the honor in……?" With a visible effort Ranma reigned in her temper, submerging it in the Soul of Ice. "Go home, Kuno. You have done enough." With those parting words, Ranma turned and walked away. Kuno stood watching as she passed out of sight around some trees. Some faint glimmer of understanding washed across his face. There was something he had to say, but could not raise his voice above a whisper.

"I'm… sorry."

- - - - - - - - -

Several days later, the scouts had once more gathered at the shrine. Makoto had brought snacks and Usagi was busy stuffing her face. Ami sat to one side typing on her computer. Makoto and Minako were busy discussing a boy from school. The others just sat and waited for the final member of the group.

"Where is she?!" demanded Rei.

"Where is who?" Setsuna asked from behind Usagi.

Everyone prepared for the normal round of jumping and screaming demands to never do that again.

Everyone was disappointed. Usagi simply held a cookie over her shoulder.

"Would you care for a cookie Setsuna? Makoto made them." The floor groaned from the impact of eight simultaneous face faults.

"Are you feeling alright Usagi?" asked Michiru. "You seem a little, off." The others nodded in agreement.

"No, I feel fine. I just finally realized that she always waits for someone to ask where she is before she shows up. I think that meditation technique is working." The entire crowd blink-blinked at their princess.

"Um, Usagi? When did you start using meditation techniques?" Makoto was a little upset. If Usagi wanted to learn martial arts she should have come to her.

"Well I met this girl in the park a little over a week ago. She was doing this fighting dance thing, oh, what do you call it Mako-chan?"

"A kata?"

"Ya, that's it. Anyway she was doing this really cool kata. Lots of jumps and kicks. I guess she overheard me sigh about how much I wished I could move like that cause she tried to show me how. But I kept falling. She said I kept getting distracted by little things, so she taught me this easy meditation technique to help me clear my mind. I think it's working, cause I got an 87 on my last math test." An 87 was probably the highest Usagi had scored on a math test since fifth grade.

"I'm glad that you are doing better in school princess, but I believe we're here to discuss youma." Setsuna came around the couch and sat down next to Usagi. "What ever is finding them does not show up in the time gates. I watched the youma we found last night get ripped apart by thin air. Something was fighting it, but I couldn't see what." The eldest scout had a small frown. "The really odd thing is that the Gates picked up the fight at all. The few other times someone has hidden from them, I couldn't even see the area they occupied. I was able to track them by what I 'couldn't' see." Usagi turned to Ami.

"How about you?"

"Well, I think I may have found something." Ami pulled out her Mercury computer and set it on the coffee table. "The wave forms here show... hold on." Everyone watched as she entered a few commands. Suddenly a picture appeared in the air above the table. "That's better. Now as I was saying, these patterns are us. Moon is at the top followed by mine, Venus, Mars, and so on. This one," She tapped another button, causing a new line to appear, "is what I found last night. As you can see it is very similar to our own, which is why I had trouble finding it before. It took me two days to isolate. It does appear to be Silver Millennium, but of what form I can't tell. All the elements seem to be taken already." This statement caused a bit of an uproar. Demands about who else was alive in the silver Millennium, where the person was hiding, and so on flew back and forth across the table. Finally Rei shouted for quiet, and turned back to Ami.

"What do you mean elements? We're tied to planets, right?"

"Well yes and no. Each planet has one or more elements associated with it. Think of our attacks. You do Fire, I do ice, and Makoto has electricity. Haruka and Michiru have earth and water. Minako has emotions, Hotaru is death and re-birth, and Setsuna is time and space."

"Since when is Setsuna the Senshi of space?" Minako demanded.

"Time and space are the same thing according to Einberg," Stated Usagi. Ami raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"I think you meant Einstein. Other than that you're right. Besides you are senshi of Life and Light, and are not bonded to a planet."

"But what about the moon?"

"Not a planet. Jupiter has moons as large as earth, but they are still moons, not planets. Anyway the point is, what element is left with all those taken?"

"Well you have the four basics, and emotions count as spirit." Usagi calmly ticked them off on her fingers. Most of the others stared at her blankly. They weren't sure they could handle this new Usagi. "Time and Space. Death, Rebirth, and Life. Light and... Darkness?" Setsuna gasped as a realization hit her hard.

"Eclipse."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon. If you would like to donate some money so that I may buy them, please feel free.**_

**Chapter Two**

"Well you have the four basics, and emotions count as spirit." Usagi calmly ticked them off on her fingers. Most of the others stared at her blankly. They weren't sure they could handle this new Usagi. "Time and Space. Death, Rebirth, and Life. Light and... Darkness?" Setsuna gasped as a realization hit her hard.

"Eclipse."

"Who the hell is Eclipse?" demanded Haruka. She was quickly seconded by the others.

"Eclipse was not a person, it was a project." Setsuna closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them the girls gasped at the tears that were threatening to fall. "Had it been successful there would have been a new senshi. Sailor Eclipse. Instead all we managed to do was torture and kill a young girl." The assembled senshi stared in open-mouthed horror at her. Rei slowly shook her head as if to deny the possibility. "Her name was Ranko Futo. She was a natural musician, a superb artist, and had one of the gentlest souls I have ever seen." Setsuna paused a moment to draw a ragged breath and wipe futily at her eyes. "She didn't want to be a senshi. She just wanted to live a normal life helping people however she could. But I convinced her how many others she could help if she did. It took me two months to get her to agree, and not once did she yell at me or any thing. But something went wrong during the infusion process. They couldn't stop it.

By the time the process was over it was too late."

"It killed her?" Minako whispered in horror.

"No. It atomized her. Slowly. While she was still alive." Gasps of shock and disgust filled the room. "I didn't even have a body to give back to her parents." Setsuna wrapped her arms around herself and began to quietly weep. Several of the girls attempted to console the normally stoic time guardian.

After several minutes, Setsuna seemed in control again. Makoto cleared her throat for attention.

"Not to seem insensitive or anything but; do you really think the one dusting those youma is this Ranko?"

"It is possible. We theorized that she would be immune to scrying. It never got to be tested though."

"What did she look like?" The assembled senshi turned to their leader. "Well, we all look very similar to what we did back then so I thought she would as well. If it is her." Rei double-blinked at Usagi. Yes this would take some getting used to. All heads turned to Setsuna.

"She was short, had a very curvy figure, fiery red hair, and crystal blue eyes. You felt like she could see your soul when she looked at you with those eyes." It was too bad every one was focused on Setsuna at that moment. None of them saw Usagi's eyes grow wide and her mouth slowly form the word 'Sensei'.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The scouts spent an hour trying to comfort Setsuna. Not really sure what to do as none of them, even the outers, had ever seen her in such a state. Eventually, Haruka and Michiru bundled her in to their car and the four outers drove off. The inners took this as the cue to depart as well. Each headed home, except for Rei (who was already home) and Usagi.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Usagi walked slowly down the path towards the lake. Her eyes searching for any sign of the redhead she had first met a few days ago. She silently wished Mamoru were there to give advice. His scholarship in England was impressive, but it was really difficult to have a heart to heart discussion with a phone. She sat down on a bench to rest for a moment. It would have been more restful if she hadn't leaned her head back to see a pair of deep blue eyes inches from her own. With a yelp of surprise she threw herself upright again, only to fall dizzily back to the bench as her head collided with that of her quarry.

"Ite, ite, ite." Ranma sat on the grass rubbing her forehead.

"Oh my, I'm sorry sensei." Usagi leapt back to her feet and raced around the bench to assist the downed redhead. Ranma waved her off and sprang to her feet.

"No problem Usagi-chan. I got a hard skull. Take more than a little tap to hurt me." Ranma grinned as she dusted off her pants and straightened up. "So, what brings you out here today?"

"Um..." Now that she had found Ranma, Usagi wasn't quite so sure. Yes the physical description matched, but Ranma was a very talented Martial Artist; while Setsuna described Ranko as more of a pacifist. Still it wouldn't hurt. "Sensei, have you ever seen one of the youma that the senshi fight?" Usagi watched closely as Ranma laughed nervously and scratched the back of her neck.

"Well, yeah, one or two. Why?"

"Have you been fighting them?" Ranma's response to that was a little over the top. Her eyes widened and she grasped Usagi by the shoulders and pulled her a little closer to hiss in her ear

"What! Who told you?! Who else knows?! You have to keep this a secret!" Usagi was more than a little startled by this reaction. She had been expecting Ranma to laugh at the silliness of such a question. Not panic as if caught in a dirty lie.

"You mean you are? You're Eclipse?"

"Who's Eclipse?"

"Eh, never mind that! How are you fighting youma? Only the senshi can beat them!"

"Hey!" Ranma replied indignantly, "I didn't train for ten years to be the best for nothing you know!" Only the senshi indeed!

"You're fighting youma with martial arts?"

"Sure. A few hard punches and a ki blast does the trick fairly well." Ranma froze, realizing something important. "I mean of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" She jumped back and began to wave her hands franticly. A large sweat-drop formed on Usagi's head. She spared a moment to wonder if she could dehydrate from them before ignoring that for a more immediate concern.

"Sensei, please calm down. I promise I won't tell anyone," Usagi pled. Finally Ranma calmed down. With a sigh she dropped down onto the bench muttering to herself.

"Still can't keep a secret to save my life. Well except one, and I'd rather not." She looked up pleadingly. "Please keep this to yourself. There are people looking for me I'd rather not see anytime soon. If it gets out that someone is killing youma with the art they'll start showing up." Usagi just stared at her for a moment so Ranma rushed on. "Besides, if regular people think they can take on one of those monsters like me they'll get hurt. I don't want people dying to be like me."

"What about the senshi?" Usagi asked as she finally found her voice.

"What about them? I figure they'd be glad of the help. Plus they get the credit for stopping the youma. An all around win, far as I can tell. 'Less you think they'll be mad?" Not that I couldn't take 'em or anything, but I got enough people out for my head as it is!

Now Usagi was thoroughly confused. She held up a hand to stop the flow of words while her brain caught up. Sitting down next to the nervous redhead, she took a moment to organize her questions.

"Are you aware that youma absorb life-energy from their victims?"

"Well, yeah. Saw it happen once or twice before I could stop it. A quick ki transfer fixes 'em up good again though."

"Didn't you tell me that ki was life-energy? If so then how can you kill a youma with it?"

"Um well, I don't really know. Never thought about it," Ranma laughed self-consciously. "Just kind of do whatever works." She developed a thoughtful look. "Maybe it's different. Kind'a, I don't know, processed, changed, when they absorb it. Like one of them big metal bowels with the holes in it. Removes anything they don't like and throws it away." Usagi stared open-mouthed at her companion. Was such a thing possible? Ami would know but how to ask her? "Well I need to get going. See you later Usagi. Tell you what meet me here Monday and I'll show you some new techniques." The dazed blond nodded vaguely and waved as her mentor stood and wandered off into the trees. Her new found focus needed some Mercurian help.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As Ranma wandered off into the park, her mind drifted back to Usagi. She really hoped the blond would keep her word. She didn't really want to look for a new place to camp. Still, other things required her attention at the moment. Such as the shriveled gnome sitting in front of her tent studying a scroll. The shriveled gnome sitting in front of her tent! Immediately Ranma fell into a defensive stance. 'Damn it,' she thought to herself, 'never get any peace.'

"Good afternoon Ranma. Pleasant weather we're having isn't it?" Happosai never once looked up.

"What do you want, Letch?"

"Respect, Ranma. Same as you." Slowly he rolled the scroll back up.

"Respect has to be earned you old perv." Ranma's stance shifted slightly as Happi stood up.

"So it does M'boy. So it does. Catch." With his free hand the elder threw a metallic cylinder at Ranma, who instinctively caught it. The thermos was warm in her grip. Confused she looked from it to her long time tormenter. "Figured you didn't have much access to hot water out here, so I brought it along as a sort of peace offering." Ranma cautiously opened the thermos, sniffed the contents, then tipped it over her head.

"Much better," he noted as he adjusted his pants and shirt. "Alright old man, I'm listening."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own... You get the Idea._

**Chapter 3**

Ranma cautiously opened the thermos, sniffed the contents, then tipped it over her head.

"Much better," he noted as he adjusted his pants and shirt. "Alright old man, I'm listening."

Happosai didn't reply immediately. Instead he pulled out his pipe, lit it, and took a slow drag.

"You know m'boy, I think you've been slacking off. Can't have my heir being lazy now can I?"

"I'm not your heir, ya old freak!"

"Course you are Ranma. You really think I care about you being Ronin?" Happosai snorted. "Please! It's your ability and drive I care about. You may not be the heir to the Saotome school anymore, you are however the heir to the full school. MY school. That fat fool has no means to take that away from you." Ranma watched Happosai closely, but could detect no sign of deception in him. 'Maybe I can use this to my advantage. The old freak is being serious for once, so I guess I should too.'

"Alright, Grandmaster. I wish to challenge you for the right to claim mastery of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. "

"Think you are ready for that do you?"

"If Genma can claim mastery, so can I."

"Well Ranma, that's the thing He can't. Genma was never certified as a master. He just claimed the title while I was locked in that cave. Still, I never did disabuse him of the notion. Have to take care of that soon." Happi shook his head. "Getting forgetful in my old age. Anyway, if you think you are ready, you should read this." Happosai handed the scroll he had been examining earlier to the confused teen. Ranma slowly unrolled the scroll and began to read. He nearly dropped it in shock as he realized what it was. It was his certificate of mastery! Exactly what he wanted! Wait a sec… since when did anything go this smooth? He carefully examined the scroll for some sign of trickery or deceit. Everything looked right. The only oddity was the scroll itself seemed old. Well, not old exactly, but definitely not new. He judged it at least a year old. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What's going on old man? You sure as hell didn't write this yesterday or even last month. Why are you giving it to me now?" Happosai just laughed.

"Because you just now asked for it, of course. Not going to just give it away," he huffed indignantly "Was beginning to wonder if you would ever ask for it. Wrote it up just after you got your strength back. Impressive display, that. Would have cured you anyway, but preferred to let you do it on your own. Just another proof of your adaptability. Very proud of you m'boy."

Ranma just stared open-mouthed at his former tormenter. Happosai was proud?! Of him?! When did he step into the Twilight Zone?

"Well Ranma, it's been nice seeing you but I've got to get going. Can't let Genma continue to abuse my school." Happosai put his pipe away and stood up. "Now I expect you to continue your training. Yours and that blonde's."

"You know about her?"

"Course I do! Been keeping an eye on you since you left Nerima."

"You were that worried about me?" Ranma was genuinely touched.

"You're my heir. And you still forget to wear a bra." Now he wished he wasn't. "Hey, I'm old not dead. Now listen up. Your next test is this training. You can learn new styles just fine. Even create your own if you have to. Now, let's see if you can teach. Soun could, till Kimiko died. He was very good as a matter of fact. We both know how bad Akane is, but considering she hasn't had a lesson since she was eight…." Happi shrugged and turned to go. "I'll be back in a week or so. Don't do anything I wouldn't!" He shouted these last words over his shoulder as he leaped into the trees.

"Like that limits me any you old perv," Ranma muttered as he watched the diminutive grandmaster disappear in the distance. "Well at least he's still disgusting," Ranma laughed to himself. "I was beginning to wonder if he was possessed."

Later that evening Ranma sat in front of his tent, silently studying the scroll in his hands. Bits of the conversation he had just had came together to reveal new meanings.

He was a master of the Art.

Genma was not.

He had surpassed Genma. He was better than the fat bastard. In every respect, he had surpassed the man who had tortured him physically, mentally, and emotionally for nearly twelve years. Genma could not beat him with the Art or with Honor. He had relinquished his last hold. There was only one word to describe what Ranma had become at last. With a single tear, he whispered that word to the world.

"Free."

--

Usagi was thinking hard. This being a relatively new experience, it took her some time. 'How do I ask Ami these questions without breaking my promise to Ranma-Sensei?' she thought to herself. Before the answer could present itself Usagi found herself in front of the Mizuno's apartment building. Sighing to herself she rang the buzzer.

"Hello?" Usagi was surprised to hear Dr. Mizuno's voice. It seemed Ami's mother was home even less often lately.

"It's Usagi ma'am. Is Ami home?"

"Yes, come on up." The door buzzed to admit her inside. Ami's mother was standing in the door her their apartment.

"Good afternoon Usagi," she greeted the teen as she ushered her inside and closed the door. "Just visiting or…… business?"

"Business."

"Ah. I'll just leave you girls alone then. Ami's in her room." Usagi watched as Dr. Mizuno went into the kitchen. Telling their parents about their extracurricular activities was a tough decision, but they seemed to be dealing with it fairly well. Luna, however, had a fit. Usagi smiled at the memory of her father trying to calm down the distressed moon cat. It seemed that he figured perverted boys were no threat if his daughter was already facing youma and dark generals. Tapping on Ami's door, she slipped inside.

"Afternoon Ami."

"Hello, Usagi. What's up?" The blue-haired teen sat in front of her new laptop typing.

"Had a few questions for the senshi scientist." Ami stopped typing and turned to give her oldest friend a look.

"Go ahead."

"How much do you know about martial arts?"

"Not much. I've never really had any interest."

"Do you know what Ki is?"

"Life energy. Youma absorb it. Some martial artists are rumored to be able to wield it as a weapon. I've never seen any proof of that though."

"Would it be effective against youma? As a weapon, I mean." Ami quirked an eyebrow at her blond companion. She was quickly learning to enjoy the new Usagi. She didn't need every thing dumbed down, and could actually surprise her regularly with valid questions.

"I'm not sure. At first I would say no. However the youma we've fought rarely used the energy themselves. It was being collected for some other purpose, and often took some time to extract.. I see no reason why they would be any more resistant to a 'Ki blast' than a magic one. Why?"

"What if a really good martial artist was the one getting the youma? Someone strong enough to generate that kind of a blast." Ami shook her head.

"Nope. Sorry Usagi, but that can't be it. Remember we found a trace of Silver Magic at several of the sights. It has to be a senshi. Although…." Ami tapped her index finger to her lips. "The trace was very small. Almost undetectable. I'd have to ask Setsuna, but I might have an idea. Problem is, I have no way to test it." Ami pulled out the mercury computer and began typing furiously. "It's possible that our newest senshi isn't active yet. The trace I found was more like background noise. There, but not in use. She may not even be the one fighting the youma. The youma might be attracted to her presence subconsciously. We ran into enough of them by accident." The senshi of ice frowned at the results her computer displayed. "Our problem extends from the fact we actually know very little about youma. Their abilities vary from one type to the next. Some have special attacks while others are just super fast or strong. There is no way to really classify them or guess what they can do or not do until we catch them doing it. What brought this up?"

The sometime moon princess laughed a bit nervously, unconsciously mimicking her sensei.

"You remember me telling you about me trying to learn that kata? I was thinking about how cool she looked and how strong she was. I thought maybe someone like her might be helpful. I kinda forgot about the magic," she said as she rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks Ami. I need to get home before dinner so I'd better leave. Talk to you later." With that Usagi was gone, silently thanking the kami for not letting her let slip the secret.

--

Nabiki was not having a good day, or week for that matter. In fact, ever since Ranma left her profits were down almost forty percent. Not from him directly, of course. But there was always someone willing to bet on his fights. Always someone willing to buy info.

"Damn you Ranma. I'm going to find you and drag you back kicking and screaming. You owe me, and I intend to collect." Nabiki snarled under her breath. "I own you." Her private rant was interrupted as young man in kendo garb walked quietly by. She had seen him before of course, but never so contemplative. "What's on your mind, Kuno-baby?" Startled he looked up.

"Ah Tendo-san. Were you aware that the foul Ranma and my beloved goddess are related?"

"Of course Kuno-baby. Everyone in Nerima knows that. Well everyone except you and your sister. How did you find out?" 'More like, how did it finally get driven into your skull!'

"She informed me of it herself. Now if you will excuse me, I have much to contemplate."

"You've seen Ranma?! Where?!" Nabiki grabbed him by the arm.

"Nay, Tendo-san. I saw my fiery goddess, who expressed her wish to be left alone most eloquently. **I** at least, will abide by those wishes. Good day." Kuno shook her off and continued down the street. Nabiki wasn't sure which surprised her more. Kuno not ranting about Ranma and his 'goddess', or Kuno actually respecting someone's desire to be left alone. It was unnatural. Still it was the first lead she'd had in weeks. Finding out where Kuno-baka had been would be as easy as calling in Sauske's debt. A slow, evil smile crept across her face. Soon. Very soon.

--

Early saturday evening the senshi gathered at the Hino temple. Not one was absent. Even Setsuna had come in through the door and taken a seat as opposed to her normal method of entry.

"So," began Makoto as she set down a plate of muffins, "is there any real news?" All heads turned to look at Ami, who was still typing on the mercury computer. It took several moments and Haruka clearing her throat before she looked up.

"I may have some ideas, but no real info yet. Give me a moment to finish this."

"I've seen two more reports about youma attacks being stopped by an unseen force. Nothing helpful at the sites though," commented Minako as Ami went back to her typing.

"My mirror isn't helpful at all. I keep getting confusing images of a black haired boy and a red haired girl fighting lots of other people." Michiru shrugged. Rei gave her an odd look.

"Weird. The sacred fire has shown me similar images. I'll see one scene of the girl fighting a group and then see the same scene, only now it's a guy. Was she reborn in the wrong body maybe?" The girls all shivered at the thought.

"I doubt the Queen would allow such a thing to happen." Setsuna assured the others.

"But Mother didn't send her forward." Usagi tapped a finger to her chin. "If it is her, then she was reborn by accident. Who knows how many times she's been reborn." The sometime senshi of Pluto paled at the thought. She opened her mouth.

"Got it!" All heads swiveled to Ami. "Watch." Once again the Mercury computer displayed a holographic chart. Everyone stared at it for a moment.

"So," Minako finally asked, "what exactly are we looking at?"

"These are the wave forms of silver energy present over the last two days. This one is Rei's and this one Makoto's. See here where they spike. Before is their normal form. The peak occurred when they transformed." Eight heads nodded in unison. "I can collect these readings anywhere in the area now that I have your signatures identified. I did the same with the new waveform. Here it is over the last week." She tapped a button on the computer and the display changed.

"Um, Ami? Where are the spikes?"

"There aren't any."

"I can see that. I meant why not."

"Well, I have two theories. One is that she never de-transforms. That would mean she was always in senshi form. Possibly she can not change back. It could be a side effect of the problems during infusion."

"The other idea?" Setsuna hugged Hotaru tightly.

"She has never once transformed. She may not even be the one stopping the youma. I honestly don't know. I have no hard data to work with. Until I do all we can do is keep watching and guessing ."

--

The meeting broke up shortly after. With no real leads there wasn't much to discuss. Each of the girls headed off in different directions except Rei, who lived there, and Makoto. She was following a certain blond. None of the others had noticed the look on Usagi's face when Ami was giving her presentation. Only Makoto had seen the brief inner turmoil on her friends face. Rather then embarrass Usagi in front of the others, she decided to catch her afterward. She wasn't expecting her to head quickly away, in the opposite direction from her house. Concerned, she followed at a discrete distance. Soon Usagi turned into a park near the edge of the ward and passed from sight.

Makoto was prepared for several things when she began following Usagi. Disappearing into the trees was not one of them. Quickly she hurried to the park entrance. It took her several minutes, but she was eventually able to track her erstwhile leader down. Peeking out around a tree, she found her standing beside a small lake talking to someone who was hidden from view by thick bushes. Rather than move and risk being seen, Makoto decided to wait in her current spot. Hopefully the person Usagi was talking to would step out where she could see them. Instead the formerly ditzy blond bowed and settled into a loose martial arts stance.

'Ah,' thought Makoto. 'This must be her mysterious sensei. Usagi did say she met her in a park. Probably where she goes to practice.' Usagi began attacking the hidden figure. To Makoto's practiced eye Usagi showed some real promise. Despite the intervening foliage, she was able to see some definite improvement over her previous method of swing and pray. 'If she got this good, this quick, I have got to meet this sensei of hers.' Slowly she edged around the thick growth. Not wanting to interrupt, but desperate to catch a glimpse of the miracle worker. Her wish was soon granted. A break in the braches showed a perfectly framed picture of the events on the waters edge. Her slim blond odango'd friend was facing off against a short, busty, red-head. Her mouth fell open. She still remembered Setsuna's description, and this girl fit it to a T. It had to be a coincidence. Usagi would tell them if she had found Eclipse. This couldn't be her.

Even as she failed to convince her self she realized that the sparring had stopped. Usagi's fist was caught firmly in the shorter girls grip. The red head was not looking at her opponent though. Her deep, clear, blue eyes were staring straight at Makoto.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I'm sure it's around here somewhere……_

_AN: Just another thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed my work. It really does make a difference. Oh yeah. Ouch Lerris. True, but ouch._

**Chapter 4**

When Usagi entered the park she hoped she would find Ranma practicing there. It seemed odd that every time she went there she would find her. Maybe not right away, but eventually she would stumble across her erstwhile sensei. It was like she stayed there, waiting for her. She shook off the thought as she spotted her target down by the water's edge. Unlike most times, Ranma was not engaging in feats of nearly superhuman agility. Instead she was simply staring out over the calm waters. A slow grin crept across Usagi's face. Today she would finally surprise her newest friend. Moving as quickly as she dared, Usagi crept along the edge of the trees. Barely suppressing a giggle she reached out to tap Ranma on the shoulder.

"Good evening Usagi."

"How do you do that?" pouted the blond as she let her arm drop back to her side. She stepped forward to stand beside Ranma.

"It's not that hard actually. No other girl would try to sneak up on me. If you had been a guy your stride would have been more solid, heavy. Besides, you're wearing that vanilla perfume your boyfriend bought you."

"How did you know about that?" Usagi turned to look at Ranma, who was still staring across the lake.

"You told me the day we first met. Along with your love of ice-cream, how much your brother annoys you, how you were late for school that morning, and how boring school is." With each item, Usagi blushed a little deeper. She hadn't realized she had told Ranma so much that first day. True she tended to run off at the mouth sometimes, but almost nobody listened so it seemed not to matter. Until now. "I'm glad you're here. I talked with the Grandmaster of my school the other day. He has officially certified me to teach. I want to know if you want to be my first student." Ranma held up a hand to stop Usagi from answering. "Before you say anything, you should know that the little I have shown you before is nothing. If you agree to this we will be meeting here several times a week to train. You have to be dedicated. Think about it for a moment. It means less time with your friends and family. You will get hurt. You are expected to train in rain and snow. The path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril." Usagi saw Ranma wince briefly at that phrase and wondered what she had faced to get as good as she was.

'If I was even half as good as her normally, when I become Sailor Moon I would be so much better. We could save so many more people.'

"I'll do it!" Usagi exclaimed. "I'll be your student and be a real martial artist!" Ranma smiled at her.

"Good. Training begins now. I want you to try and hit me." The red-head took two steps back. "Come on." Usagi decided to do this right. Carefully she assumed the stance she used to start her kata. With a sudden lunge she swung her fist at Ranma, who casually leaned back and batted her fist aside. The unexpected move almost threw Usagi off balance, but she quickly sidestepped to regain her center and threw a low kick. Even in her focused state, Usagi noted the grace Ranma displayed while leaping over her outstretched leg. For the next several minutes she attempted punches, kicks, throws, and sweeps. Each was met with seemingly effortless counters. Each block or dodge just enough to counter the move. Just as Usagi felt herself to be truly into a good rhythm Ranma caught her fist instead of blocking or deflecting. The sudden change brought her to a complete stop. Ranma however, wasn't looking at her. Instead her gaze penetrated the darkness under the trees.

"What is it Ranma?"

"We have company." Usagi withdrew her fist from her sensei's grasp and turned to scan the darkness herself.

"I don't see any one. Where are they?"

"Backing away." Ranma shrugged and turned back to her student. "Don't worry too much. Probably just someone who caught us sparring and wanted a closer look. It happens to me all the time." She smiled at Usagi. "For our first real session, I'd say you did pretty good."

"Really? But I never hit you once!"

"Really. I didn't expect you to be able to yet. You will in time. This was more a test to see where you are now. Speaking of now, you better head home. It's getting kind of late. Meet me right here after you get out of school on Monday."

"Ok. Bye Ranma Sensei!"

--

Makoto was seriously confused. Usagi was sparing with a girl who looked exactly like the description they had been given of Eclipse. She had been meeting this girl for at least two weeks. Yet she had never once mentioned anything to her friends.

Normally Makoto would simply have confronted Usagi, and demanded an explanation from her. She trusted Usagi, but this was too much. There had to be a reason. Maybe 'Eclipse' had asked her not to tell. Usagi would never break a promise on purpose. She would have told by accident before, but seemed much more focused now.

Makoto arrived back at her apartment and let herself in. She sighed as she turned on the lights. There were times she loved living alone. This was not one of those times. She wished there was someone she could talk to. True she couldn't bring up Senshi business, but just to talk. She shook her head to clear the gloomy thoughts, and began to fix herself dinner. She needed to decide what to do.

As she settled down her mind picked apart what she knew. Usagi was sparing a girl who matched the description. She hadn't told anyone about her. The girl in question was a Master level martial artist. No one had ever seen the person stopping the youma, not even Setsuna. Ami had no clues, Rei had no usable visions, and Michiru got confusing images. Makoto pounded the table in frustration. 'How do I deal with this? If I tell the others, Usagi will be mad. If I don't, they will. If I only knew who the redhead was….' Makoto sat up. That was perfect. If she could find out more about Usagi's mysterious sensei she might know how to confront her. A plan firmly in mind, she finished her supper with gusto. Tomorrow she would begin her search.

--

Nabiki was not happy. It had taken her a week and even more money to track Kuno's path back to Juban. Well, not her money, but it should have been hers, and now it was in someone else's pocket. Worse, she had walked for two hours and talked to nearly a dozen dojo masters, and not one had seen Ranma in either form. He hadn't gone to any of them. Chances were he had moved on when Kuno had found him. After all, even Ranma was smart enough to figure out that others would follow. 'I swear I'm adding this to his tab. Plus expenses for aggravation. If they haven't heard of him at this next dojo I'm going home.' She entered the small building to see a class of young children practicing basic kata while a few adults sparred off to one side. A middle aged man in a gi walked over to meet her.

"Good afternoon miss. Are you interested in classes?" His congenial smile only served to irritate her more.

"No," she ground out between her teeth, "I'm afraid not. I just wish to know if you have seen either of these people." She held up two pictures, one of each of Ranma's forms. The man peered closely at the pictures for a moment then shrugged.

"I'm afraid not."

"Ug! Forget it! I'm going home!" Nabiki exclaimed while throwing the pictures into the air. Turning she brushed past the tall brunette that had just entered and left the building, muttering dire threats.

--

Makoto had come down to the dojo where she often practiced. She picked up the pictures the rude girl and left and glanced at them. The first showed a rather good looking young man with black hair in a pig-tail. He was dressed in black pants and a red top. Most importantly he was in a kempo stance. She studied the picture for a moment, then looked at the second one. It was the girl! It was the one she had seen Usagi sparring with last night. She was dressed in the same out fit and had her hair done the same as the boy in the first picture. Who was she? Raising an eyebrow at master Kilrin, she gestured toward the pictures.

"Ah, yes you wish to know about the young lady and the people in those pictures? Well Mako-chan, all I can tell you is that some people deserve to live their own lives. No matter who tries to stop them." With that rather enigmatic statement he went back to his class, leaving Makoto to wonder.

--

Back in Nerima, the Saotomes were sitting down to lunch when there was a loud pounding on the door. Nodaka calmly answered it to find Happosai standing on the other side.

"Good afternoon, Master Happosai. Would you care to come in?"

"Why yes, I would. I need to speak with your husband." The diminutive martial artist strode into the dinning room. "There you are. Where is your son Genma?" Both of the Saotomes stiffened at the question.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken Master. I have no son."

"You want to play it like that? Fine. Where is my heir? Where is my student? Where is the only other living master of Anything Goes? Where… Is… Ranma?" With each question Happosai seemed to grow larger and larger till he somehow loomed over Genma. The fat fool nearly pissed himself in fright.

"I…I…don't kn…know Master!" Genma stuttered. "He's b…been gone for w…weeks!"

"Of course you don't know. He wouldn't let you control him so he was useless to you. Good thing I know better then to rely on you." Happosai shrunk back down to his normal size and turned to leave. As he was about to exit the room he paused to look over his shoulder. "One more thing. If I ever catch you claiming to be a master of my school again, I'll personally see to it that you can never practice the art again." Without another glance at either Genma or Nodaka he left the house. The two looked at each other and then out the window, where the half constructed dojo stood. The dojo that had taken most of their savings, and was now nearly useless.

_AN: Another chapter, another long wait. Here's hoping some of you stick around long enough to read the next update._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Makoto had discovered no more information by the time Monday had come, and spent the entire day watching Usagi for some clue as to what was going on. As classes ended at last she managed to catch her blond friend just as she was leaving the school grounds.

"Hey Usagi, you wanna go get some ice-cream with me?" This seemed a fool proof, if exspensive, plan. Tsukino Usagi never turned down ice-cream.

"I'm sorry Mako-chan. I would love, to but I promised Sensei I would meet her right after school."

"Oh." Makoto was not sure how to respond. Usagi had never turned down ice-cream before. Never. "Well, could I maybe go with you? I would love to meet your sensei. I bet the others would too." Very true. All the senshi would want to meet the person who could tame the Tsukino.

"Um…" Usagi bit her lip. "I don't know. Sensei is very private. How about I ask her today and give you her answer tomorrow?" The blond moon princess pulled her best puppy dog eyes on Makoto. None of the senshi could resist this look. Not even Rei.

"Alright Usagi, just don't forget."

"I promise. Bye!" Usagi waved as she ran off. Makoto shook her head. She'd been had again. Damn those eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'How am I going to do this?' Usagi wondered to herself as she sprinted for the park. 'Sensei might not want to meet Mako-chan and the others.' The schoolgirl spun around a lamppost to avoid a surprised looking salary man. 'What if she says no? How am I going to tell the others? What if she says yes? We could all use some more training.' The blond paused a moment to verify that she had in fact said more work. 'But then they'll know I was keeping someone who matched the Eclipse description a secret. What am I gonna do?' She continued in this vein for some time until she reached the park entrance. 'Better get it over with.' Steeling herself, Usagi quickly headed for the lake. As she always seemed to be, Ranma was practicing along the lake shore. Usagi spared a moment to wonder how she was there every time her pupil stopped by, but quickly forgot that question in favor a more pressing concern.

"Good afternoon Sensei." Ranma finished her kata, holding the final form for several seconds, before turning to Usagi.

"Good afternoon Usagi. You're on time I see." Something about Ranma's voice seemed off. Sterner somehow. "Shall we begin?"

"Hai, Sensei." Usagi dropped her bag under a tree and came down to the shore.

"Assume." Usagi dropped into the first stance of her beginning kata. "Ichi. Integrity. A martial artist is just and lawful. Ni." Usagi moved to the second form. "Courage. A martial artist may feel fear, but never gives in to it. San." Usagi moved to the third form. Ranma corrected it slightly. "Benevolence. A martial artist protects the weak." It went on like this for some time. At each call Usagi would assume a new stance, which Ranma would correct as necessary while listing a virtue of Bushido.

"Shi. Respect."

"Go. Honesty."

"Roku. Honor."

"Shichi. Loyalty."

"Hachi. Wisdom."

As Usagi settled into the last form Ranma stepped in front of her, and stared deep into her eyes.

"When these flow together, you will have begun the path of a 'true' martial artist. Those eight forms contain the basis for every style of the Art I know," Ranma gave a quick grin, "and I know a lot. The eight virtues are to be applied to every thing. Just as a simple walk to school can be training, so to can living your life. This is important to remember. If you fail it can have grave consequences."

"You would stop teaching me?" Usagi's lower lip trembled slightly.

"NO! No, not at all. As long as you don't use what I teach you to hurt others except to defend the weak I will teach you. But not following at all times can cause problems for you. Following the code can get you in trouble some times, but not doing so tends to be much worse. Trust me Usagi, I know." Ranma's face grew pensive for a moment. Shaking her head, she resumed her sensei face. "When you have mastered this kata we will move on. Till then I expect you to practice every day. Now again, Ichi."

For the next hour Ranma grilled Usagi, correcting the various stances till they were perfect. At the end the blond was soaked with sweat and quite sore. Ranma allowed her to collapse onto the grass while she brought out a towel and a water bottle.

"Good job, Usagi," she told the younger girl while handing her the bottle and towel before sitting down next to her. "Keep practicing at home and we'll be ready to move on soon."

"Thanks Ranma. Umm…"

"What?"

"Well, some of my friends were wanting to meet you. I didn't know if that would be alright with you or not. Some of them study martial arts. They would probably want to learn from you too." Usagi gushed, almost afraid to stop long enough for Ranma to say no. For a moment, Ranma pondered the request.

"I suppose that would be alright. How many?"

"Eight, maybe."

"That many?" Ranma whistled and thought for a moment. "We'll have to move it to Lancre Park. Too crowded here."

"Really? It's okay?" Usagi was trembling with excitement. "This will be so cool. I can't wait to introduce you to all of them."

"Eh heh. Yeah, sounds like fun." Ranma rubbed the back of her neck. "Why don't you bring them by on Friday. They can watch you and decide if they want to try it out or not."

"Okay Ranma. I'll see you on Friday." Usagi finished wiping of the sweat and handed back the towel. Waving as she left the lake, she pondered the next step. 'Ranma said it was okay, but the others will think I've been hiding Eclipse. I don't want the others mad at me. Oh what am I going to do now?'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three days later Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru were walking back to Haruka's car after shopping.

"So what do you think of going to see this sensei Usagi has been training under tomorrow?"

"I don't know Haruka. While it might be interesting, I feel we should be focusing more on finding Eclipse. I'm getting more worried about Setsuna. Whenever she comes back from the time gates she looks completely exhausted. I think she is burning herself out trying to find some sign of our mystery girl." Michiru told her love. Hotaru nodded in agreement.

"I'm worried about Setsuna-mama as well. She's not eating much." Haruka opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a scream.

"I think it came from around there." Haruka pointed toward the next corner. The three hurried forward. There, in an empty lot, they found the first live youma they had seen in months. It was over eight feet tall and looked very much like a humanoid toad, if such came with over a dozen tentacles protruding from its back. It currently had hold of a young redhead in a school fuku. Several nearby girls indicated that she had been walking with friends.

"Is that Eclipse?" Haruka murmured to the others, who just shrugged. While the girl did appear to have some resemblance to the description, she was not faring well in the youma's grip. Her struggles weakened as the tentacles attached themselves to her and seemed to suck the life out of her. "Crap, we gotta transform and help her." The others nodded, but just before they did so a whisper of a voice came across the field as a brilliant ball of what looked like blue fire impacted the chest of the toady youma. Surprised and hurt the youma screeched and dropped the schoolgirl. Mere inches from the ground, she was saved from impact by a shadowy figure that materialized from seemingly nowhere. With a back flip the figure kicked the youma in the chin while carrying the girl to the edge of the field. As soon as it set the girl down, the figure faded completely from view once more. The enraged youma was casting about, looking for its attacker. Unable to find it, the youma tried to resume its meal. It bellowed in pain as its side caved in with a wet crack. It flailed desperately, only to have an arm broken backwards at the elbow with a sickening sound. The invisible attacker didn't get off easy though. A lashing tentacle caught hold of something and threw it into the wall.

There, crouched in the dirt at the base of the wall, was a young man with black hair. He wore a red shirt and black pants. Wiping at a cut on his cheek with the back of his hand, he seemed to shimmer for a moment before disappearing. With a cry of 'Kijin Raishü Dan' two shimmering blades, barely perceptible to the naked eye, slammed into the youma. It stood still for a moment. Then pieces fell off. Just as the last piece hit the ground, the whole pile turned to grayish dust. The three outers stood there, mouths hanging open in amazement.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Haruka.

"That was the boy I saw in the Mirror," Michiru responded, "when I was trying to fine Eclipse."

_AN: Hah! Had to completely restore my computer and rewrite everything I had for this chapter, and it still took less time then some._

_Well someone saw Ranma fight at last. Hope it was good for you. Things are starting to come together. Just remember, 'I took the road less traveled, now where the heck am I?'_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Sorry it took so long, but here is the sixth chapter. I was hoping that starting another story would mean that I would be able to work on one when I was stuck on the other. Unfortunately I ended up with two stories I'm not updating. As always I appreciate your patience and feedback. I would also love your ideas for chapter titles._

**Chapter 6**

Thursday evening found the scouts gathered at the outers house. Even Setsuna had been caught on one of her infrequent trips home and dragooned into joining.

"What is going on you three?" asked Rei. "You've been agitated since you called."

"Today we witnessed a youma attack, and the person who stopped it." A brief silence was followed closely by a volume of questions that overwhelmed the ears of the three younger outer scouts.

"Hold on!" Haruka shouted. "Let her finish.!" Michiru nodded at her lover.

"The three of us were out shopping when we heard a scream from a nearby lot. When we got there we found a youma attacking a young redhead." This was as far as she got before being interrupted again.

"You saw Eclipse?!" seemed to be the general theme of the vocal explosion her announcement had caused.

"Hush! We don't know if the girl was Eclipse or not! She said attacking not fighting!" Haruka's voice rose above the crowd. Once the others had settled back down, Haruka gestured for Michiru continued her tale.

"Thank you dear. Indeed the girl was caught in the youma's grip and seemed no different then any normal girl. In fact we were about to transform and step in when the youma got attacked with what looked like a ball of azure fire. When it dropped the girl a figure appeared and caught her, got her out of the way, then disappeared again. Not left, mind you. Simply faded from sight. Then something began to attack the youma directly. The beast lashed out blindly and caught the attacker by sheer chance. The invisibility ended when it hit the wall." She drew a breath, preparing for the storm her word were going to bring. "It was a guy."

Silence settled over the room for a bare moment before exploding into a cacophony of shouting.

"Girls if you want me to answer questions you need to be quiet!" Michiru shouted over the noise. It took several minutes, but eventually order was restored and the assembled girls sat back down.

"Okay, quick answers. No, we don't know who he was or how he was doing what he did. No he wasn't transformed. I have no idea if he is single, nor do I care." The others looked at Minako, who blushed. "I have seen him before, briefly in the Deep Aqua Mirror when I was trying to find Eclipse. When I tried to use it to find more info on him, it refused to react at all."

"Did he have black hair in a pigtail and was really handsome and looked extremely strong?" asked Rei. Hotaru nodded. "That sounds like the same vision I have been seeing in the sacred fire."

"Hold on a moment," Makoto said as she dug into her purse. She turned back and laid a picture on the table. "Is this what he looked like?"

"That's him!" Haruka exclaimed. "Don't tell me he's your old sempai!" Makoto spared a moment to glare at the tall blond.

"No. Some rude girl was at the Kilrin dojo where I practice. She was looking for the boy in this picture. I know master Kilrin knew something, but he refused to tell her or me, even after she left. He just said some people deserved to live their own lives." Makoto kept a close eye on Usagi as she pulled out the other photo. "The funny thing is she was also looking for this girl." Makoto set the other picture down on top of the previous one. The room went deathly still. Usagi's eyes went wide and her mouth worked up and down, but no sound emerged. The others were in a similar state, except Setsuna who sat as if frozen.

"Tha…" Usagi swallowed. "That's my sensei." Slowly all heads swiveled to look at her. She cringed a bit at the sudden attention. "I didn't say anything yet because I wanted to be sure. I didn't think every one would come. I was hoping to convince Ami to come along and scan her to find out." She reached out and took Setsuna's hand. " Please understand, I didn't want to get your hopes up till we knew for sure." Setsuna attempted a small smile to reassure her princess. Usagi smiled back and looked around the room.

"I suppose this means everyone is coming tomorrow?" The resulting pillow barrage left her buried beneath a mound of the fluffy projectiles.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That same evening Ranma sat by the lake shore. As he stared out over the gently lapping waves he considered his life. For a decade he had been dragged across the majority of Asia, suffering torture disguised as training. Then he spent two years being the proverbial whipping boy for an entire town full of lunatics. Now here he sat, living alone out of a tent, scrapping by on just enough money to buy food, and the happiest he had ever been.

The sudden gust of wind caused enough spray to change him to her, but was no where near enough to wash the smile from her face. Sticking her tongue out at the lake she stood and returned to the small clearing with her tent. Tomorrow, Usagi and her friends would be expecting her at Lancre Park. It was nice enough, but a bit too popular for Ranma's liking. Still she had a student, and soon might have more. She hummed a bit to herself as she prepared a quick meal of rice and dried fish. She briefly wondered how long this could last. Kuno had already been by, and Master Kilrin said Nabiki had shown up with pictures, looking for her. How long till Nabiki or the amazons tracked her down, or Ryoga popped out of nowhere. Not that she couldn't deal with either of them, but she'd rather not. In fact there was almost no one from her past she wanted to see. Tofu or Kasumi, so long as it wasn't at the same time. Or Akane.

She sighed to herself, her good mood faded. She missed Akane. They would never have worked as a couple, they were too much alike. But they could have been such good friends if the parents had given them a chance. If her foot wasn't always in her mouth. If Akane could control her anger. She sighed again. Despite the disagreements, she wished Akane the best. Maybe now that she was gone Akane could have a more normal life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Akane stood alone in the dojo. Though the equipment was stacked properly along one wall, and the shrine sat in it's usual spot on the shelf, the room felt empty. Gone was the exuberance and life that a certain aquatransexual had brought to everything he did. Probably forever. In her mind she replayed the scene of so many weeks ago. When Nodoka and Genma had dared to sit in judgment over a boy with far more honor then either of them. How they had demanded that Ranma bow to their whims. They had insulted his honor and dignity. Said that his actions in dealing with those around him were a disgrace

Finally Ranma had turned to leave the room, and Nodoka had dared to draw her sword. Genma bellowed that Ranma would be stricken from the clan records if walked out that door. Neither had expected the response they received. In the blink of an eye Ranma had the Saotome honor blade away from the woman who claimed to be his mother.

"I would have far more honor as a ronin then as a member of this family." The words had been barely above a whisper, but cut through all the noise and bluster of the two fools. He had then grasped the blade in both hands, and with a clear ringing noise, not unlike a bell, snapped it in two. Tossing the pieces onto the floor in front of him he had turned and left. Appearing moments later with his backpack, he bowed to Kasumi and thanked her for her hospitality. Turning to Akane he gave a sad smile and a quiet goodbye. Then he exited the house and leapt over the wall. That was the last she saw of him. Gone from her life as quickly as he had entered it.

Turning to look out over the koi pond she gave a small smile.

"Good luck Ranma. Wherever you are."

_AN: That is it for this chapter. Shorter then I wanted but at least it is getting somewhere. _

_Next time: Ranma meets the Senshi!_


End file.
